Seven days to live

The Butte Theater (139 E. Bennett Ave., Cripple Creek, buttetheater.com) will show Desperado: The Ballad of Big, Bold Dan at 1 p.m. and My Fair Lady at 7 today, but don't confuse the two; these Thin Air Theatre Company productions have their own vibes. While gents strive to call the reformed Cockney Eliza Doolittle their fair lady, the second scene of western melodrama Big, Bold Dan is aptly summarized, "This fat trap floozy was flirtin' with my fiance!" No matter their differences, both shows promise spirited singing, every musical aficionado's fantasy. Weekday matinees are $14.25 for adults and $8.25 for children under 12. — Sara Horton

9 Thursday

music

We're not quite sure just how "amateur" an ivory-tickler is catered to by the Celebration of the Amateur Pianist; the winner of the same organization's Rocky Mountain Amateur Piano Competition last summer flew in all the way from Paris. In any case, today's 10 a.m. seminar on piano selection and care, 2 p.m. master class with the internationally acclaimed Norman Krieger, and 7 p.m. recital by CSU-Pueblo music professor Zahari Metchkov together have plenty to offer for professionals, amateurs and non-musicians alike. All three take place at Colorado College's Packard Hall (5 W. Cache la Poudre St., apiano.org), kicking off the four-day Celebration. Events are priced individually, or you can buy an $80 pass for the whole shebang. — Wyatt Miller

10 Friday

sports

The Waldo Canyon Fire forced its delay, but the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb has arrived at last. And racers will hope to make up, if only a bit, for lost time: This year's event marks the first on an all-asphalt road. The extra grip promises record-breaking speeds, adding a new dimension to the thrills. Hang out downtown (between Colorado Avenue and Bijou Street on Tejon Street, 5 to 10 p.m., usacracing.com/ppihc) for the free Fan Fest today, boasting live bands, a chili cook-off, motorcycle jumpers and more. Then head up the mountainside tomorrow, camp out (with a $100 permit), and enjoy the race ($40/adv, $50/day of) all day Sunday. — Jeff Koch

11 Saturday

community

To see 1950s Pikes Peak Library District photos of Fannie Mae Duncan inside her locally legendary Cotton Club is to instantly get a sense of the vital and energetic jazz spot it was. It remains a place worth commemorating, hence the Colorado Springs Diversity Forum's annual Cotton Club celebration, taking place from 8 p.m. to midnight at Stargazers Theatre and Event Center (10 S. Parkside Drive, stargazerstheatre.com). Local funk, Motown and R&B act Suga Bear & the Show Time Band will take care of the soundtrack at this concluding event of Everybody Welcome week. Entry is free, but RSVPs encouraged at info@cospdiversityforum.org. — Matthew Schniper

12 Sunday

stage

Multiple 'gasms are always a good thing. And in this case, provocative troupe THEATREdART (128 N. Nevada Ave., theatredart.org) invites mature audiences to get all hot and bothered by its sixth annual Theatregasm. Twelve local playwrights will present 11 new shorts, with titles ranging from "Blood and Beer" to "Bottled Buddhahood." The show opened at 8 p.m., Friday, and continues at the same time every Friday through Sunday, including tonight, through Aug. 26. Bring $10 for tickets ($5 for students with ID), and leave the performance anxiety to the actors. — Kirsten Akens

13 Monday

music

Perhaps the only band in the history of rock to tour in a plane piloted by its lead singer, British heavy metal legend Iron Maiden and "Ed Force One" touch down in Denver tonight for the 31st show on their "Maiden England" North America Tour. Thankfully, Bruce Dickinson is a certified commercial airline pilot, so you should be safe to buy tickets at livenation.com for the 6:30 show at Comfort Dental Amphitheatre (6350 Greenwood Plaza Blvd., Englewood), which will run you anywhere from $31 to $100. Since the band's original fans are all busy driving their kids to freshman orientation, go forth and rock thy face off. — Claire Swinford

14 Tuesday

art

This is the most playful Big Red's been since it last saw duty as Grace Best Elementary a decade ago. Now the windows of the ruddy District 38 Central Administration Office (146 Jefferson St., Monument, trilakesviews.org) look out on a wide expanse of fresh green sod laid down by 300 volunteers and dotted with seven large-scale artworks by Colorado and Arizona artists. True, the current crop of sculptures will be on display for the next year, but we recommend going while Monument ARTSITES 2012 still has that new-public-arts-initiative smell. Or that could be freshly mown grass. Either way, what could be better on a lazy Tuesday afternoon? — Claire Swinford